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Baltimore mother of alleged rioter says she regrets telling her son to turn himself in

The 18-year-old’s bail has been set at $500,000

Payton Guion
Thursday 30 April 2015 19:26 BST
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After 18-year-old Allen Bullock was photographed on the front page of the Baltimore Sun over the weekend allegedly smashing a police car, his mother and stepfather told the young man to turn himself in to authorities.

But after Mr Bullock’s bail was set at $500,000 – and he faced the possibility of eight years in prison – his mother told The Guardian that she regrets convincing her son to surrender to police.

“It is just so much money, who could afford to pay that?' said Mr Bullock’s mother, Bobbi Smallwood. “If they let him go he could at least save some money and pay them back for the damage he did.”

Mr Bullock’s stepfather says, despite the six-figure bail, he does not regret telling his stepson to turn himself in.

“I know what would happen to him if he hadn’t,” Maurice Hawkins said. “By turning himself in he also let me know he was growing as a man and he recognized what he did was wrong.”

Mr Bullock has been charged with eight misdemeanours, including a rioting charge. His parents say his sentence likely will be four to eight years.

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